The End of the Historical Enterprise

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History today often seems deeply divided, as public historians and educators complain about the disengagement of academics and college and university professors pursue increasingly esoteric subjects of research. Robert Townsend will speak on the findings of his recent book, History's Babel, which looks back to the early decades of the historical enterprise to show how efforts to professionalize pushed history specialists (in archives, historical societies, and teaching) away from each other. This seminar presentation will offer a wide-ranging discussion of the many different professions of history and what they mean for the discipline.

Transcript of The End of the Historical Enterprise

The End of the Historical Enterprise

Washington History SeminarWilson Center, Washington, D.C.

March 11, 2013

Comparative Timelines for Disciplinary Histories

The Historical Enterprise

The AHA’s Original Mission

The AHA was established “for the promotion of historical studies, the collection and preservation of historical documents and artifacts, and the dissemination of historical research.”

Congressional Charter, 1889

Number of AHA Committees Devoted to Activity, 1843 to 1945

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Public History

Research Scholarship

Teaching and Pedagogy

Tools and Materials

Key Figures

Reuben Gold ThwaitesWisconsin Hist. Soc.

Henry JohnsonColumbia Teacher’s Coll.

Solon BuckNational Archives

Lucy SalmonVassar Coll.

Waldo Gifford LelandAHA and ACLS.

Albert Bushnell HartHarvard Univ.

Teaching Archives and Societies

History PhDs Conferred, 1873 to 1950

1890-1900 1901-1910 1911-20 1921-30 1931-40 1941-500

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

PhD ProgramsHistory PhDs

Average Years Undergraduate Study to History PhD

1881* 1900 1920 19400

2

4

6

8

10

12

Publication of History Dissertations, 1880 to 1925

1880 to 1900

(N=52)

1900 to 1909

(N=157)

1910 (N=17)

1915 (N=31)

1920 (N=22)

1925 (N=33)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120in Serial

by Book Pub-lisher

A Crisis in Scholarly Production

Marcus W. JerneganUniv. of Chicago

AHA Membership in History-related Positions, 1884 to 1940

K-12

Archi

ves/L

ibra

ry

State

/Loc

al H

istor

y

Feder

al H

istor

ian

Other

Hist

orica

l Org

aniza

tion

Publis

hing

4-Yea

r Col

lege

/Uni

vers

ity

Teach

ers/C

omm

unity

Col

lege

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%1884 (N=220)

1911 (N=2,755)

1920 (N=2,348)

1940 (N=3,063)

Growth in Nationally Recognized Historical Societies

1893 1905 1916 1926 1936 19440

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

Growth in States with Archival Programs

1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 19440%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Changing Technologies

The New History

High School Students Taking Courses on History

1889-90 1899-1900

1909-10 1919-20 1929-30 1939-40 1949-500

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

5,000,000

6,000,000

7,000,000

8,000,000

Private Schools

Public Schools

Compression of History in the Schools, 1925

Portion of High School Students in Courses on Subject

1895 1900 1905 1910 1915 1922 1928 1934 19490%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

History

Algebra

English

“Blueprint” for Investigation of History and Other Social Studies, 1928 to 1933

Faculty in History Departments, 1928 to 1948

1928(N=244)

1932(N=296)

1936(N=346)

1940(N=364)

1948(N=416)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

3 or Less

10 or More

Shift in Alignment of History Departments

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%1928(N=363)

1932(N=462)

1936(N=617)

1940(N=692)

1948(N=786)

Areas of Employment for History PhDs, 1952

4-year College/University79.0%

Other Educational Institu-tion7.1%

Other History-related (government, non-profit)

jobs4.4%

Jobs "closely related" to history5.7%

Jobs Outside History3.8%

History PhDs Conferred, 1873 to 2010

1873-1900

1901-10

1911-20

1921-30

1931-40

1941-50

1951-60

1961-70

1971-80

1981-90

1991-2000

2001-2010

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

Areas of Employment for History PhDs, 1979

2-year College5.6%

4-year College/University73.0%

Elementary/ Secondary School2.9%

Government5.3%

Library/Archives1.1%

Museum/Historical So-ciety1.1%

Private for-Profit Company

4.7%

Private Not-for-Profit Organization

5.2%Other/Not Reported

1.1%

Areas of Employment for History PhDs, 2010

2-year College7.4%

4-year College/University59.6%

Elementary/ Secondary School4.6%

Other Educational Institution1.7%

Private for-Profit Company

5.7%Private Not-for-Profit

Organization5.7%

Research Institute3.8%

State/Local Government2.4%

Self-Employed3.7%

U.S. Government5.3%

For additional questionsplease e-mail me atrtownsend@historians.org